02 August 2003

"The ultimate luxury is being able to do with as little as possible."Pico Iyer

"Fifteen years ago, I went to Kyoto to live in a Zen temple for a year. When I returned to California, a forest fire destroyed my house and everything in it. The day after, the only thing I had in the world was the toothbrush I’d just bought (and, of course, my memories and friendships and beliefs–all my invisible assets). I’ve always regarded that fire as something of a blessing, both in showing me how perishable and fragile are all material things, and in reminding me that, even with no possessions, I have a life that 98 per cent of the people on the planet would envy."

I have always enjoyed Pico Iyer's writings. One of the few writers, who, I feel, writes straight from the heart. The prose is usually simple, devoid of any phony language. Read his view about money in Outlook Money.